[Keltz]

Not exactly megaliths (and I did not find this topic on your "Search") however.. I have recently done some searching on the Dogu figures of the (Japanese) Jomon Period (12000-300 BC). These figures are said to resemble no other objects on Earth. Explanations offered have been sympathetic magic - why the figures appear to be deliberately broken - fertility, playful rather than practical, etc.

But here's what I would like some opinions on, other explanations:

http://ancientgravitics.tripod.com

The author, who refers to himself as a "Reverse Engineering Specialist" ("Gravitics Among the Ancients) believes that "ancient astronauts" may have encoded these figures. I do not agree the source would be "ancient astronauts" but they do have strange cosmic-appearing markings, not unlike some of those on other ancient stones, on your home page, for example. Could you please offer some opinions, and assistance, if possible, analyzing the author's finds, for which I do not have enough engineering, physics and archaeological knowledge.

Another book related to the above ancient astronaut idea: The Six-Thousand Year Old Spacesuit, by Vaughn M. Green.

There are many pictures available of the Dogu figures with a simple search, including Pregnant Dogu, and the mysterious Snow Goggle Dogu.

Many thanks.

[Diego]

Personally, I think that the Dogu statues are quite interesting, but the theories built around them are totally preposterous and unreliable. If "Ancient Astronauts author Reverse Engineering Specialist Robert A. Patterson" does have a gift, that is his imagination.
The webpage you mentioned is simply filled with mind-catching ads for Patterson's latest book. I have got enough Astronomy and Physics knowledge to tell you that devices "creating a localized wormhole" simply don't exist (yet?) and never existed on Earth before.
That's my opinion, and I'm sure there could be many others with a different point of view. But i believe the whole "ancient astronauts" idea isn't supported by real facts.

Anyway, others may post their opinions on this thread.

[Jimit]

Well said! The figurine to me displays stylised ethnic dress and no more. I think that it is an insult to our ancestors to either treat them as complete ignoramuses or to imbue them with being the fount of a lost esoteric knowledge system. Whilst some of their know-how has gone (the construction of circles and tombs),we can make a fair guess about it without invoking spacemen.

[Keltz]

I appreciate your comments. To me there is some underlying sinister darkness in regard to beliefs in ancient astronauts, UFO's and spacemen, but I don't think they're going to go away anytime soon. I'd rather see Robert Patterson develope his ideas without the "ancient astronaut" angle.

I'm aware of comparisons that have been investigated, i.e., of Navajo rug designs from antiquity and Walter Russell's cosmic diagram for "zero point energy," so the above is not the first time cosmic energy systems have been observed in the creative work of ancient peoples.

My own theory - just a reader and a layman's theory - is that, through normal evolution, some areas have been added to the forepart of the human brain since ancient times, adding a sense of personality and "I-ness," and a sense of separateness from others and the universe. Ancient man would have thought, lived and created much more out of instinct, much more in harmony with the cosmos, and with an earlier or deeper part of the brain.

Thanks again for comments.

[Nigel]

I'm not convinced that we have different brains now. Isn't the timescale a mere blink of an eye in evolutionary terms. Weren't they merely us, yesterday?

And yet I agree they may have felt they had more of a sense of harmony and oneness with their surroundings - simply because they did, since they led a natural life. We on the other hand live in an artificial environment and lead a pretty unnatural life. No wonder we have a sense of detachment and suffer neuroses (well I do, anyway!)

[Keltz]

I think just a very small change in the area near the forehead. Physically minute, considering the time span, but evolution is physical and something in addition. That something in addition is a parallel reality; that is, it runs parallel with our physical, scientific-materialistic view... Well, can't avoid bringing up the words "spirituality," and "spiritual world," which our ancestors were also much more in tune with than are we presently; explaining much actually. I've recently been involved in a discussion of this. Going back to the time of Plato, and considering his statements about Atlantis (uh-oh, I've brought up the "A word")... Some believe that he gave certain facts about Atlantis (and are trying to find it based on his account), but that other of his statements in the same account are purely "fictional" or "tales." I pointed out, with out much effect apparently, that in Plato's time, and to Plato himself, spirituality and morality (including courage and valour) were as real, if not more real, than mere facts. The two parallel streams, spirituality-morality and scientific-materialism, need to meet and coalesce today as they did in Plato's time, or in the ancients' time. Then we'll understand them. Recently I read Aku-Aku by Thor Heyerdahl (first published in 1960), and in this book, the surviving "Long Ears," whose ancestors had created and raised the Easter Island colossals, were happy to show Thor that they could still do it. They were not able to complete carving a new statue, but succeeded in raising one that had lain in the ground for hundreds of years. But according to them, it wasn't just ropes, logs, rocks, etc. and purely human strength that had succeeded in raising the colossal, they had also gotten a small amount of help from the spirits, Aku-Aku (their ancestors had received much more help) otherwise they would not have succeeded. Thor just laughed and dismissed Aku-Aku as superstition. End of book, end of true story.

But the answer to me is, yes, labor and more. Pyramids and more, megaliths and something else as well. The something else is the parallel stream, which, I believe, sometimes diverts extremely from it known scientific-materialistic-physical counterpart. Time, for example, is much different. The past is seen coming towards us from the future, the future appears to be coming from the direction of the past.

So the physical change is small, the spiritual change is enormous. The physical time reveals one side, the absence of any time reveals another side altogether.

Care to take this further? Whew!....